Arsenal complete great escape

Arsenal 2 Lokomotiv Moscow 0

The Gunners were on the brink of elimination just a few weeks earlier but now join Chelsea and Manchester United in the last sixteen. Robert Pires handed them the lead after just 13 minutes and the Russian side, who had Jacob Lekcetho sent off before half-time, were never allowed back into contention from then on.

When Freddie Ljungberg put Arsenal further ahead with 23 minutes left, the result was beyond any doubt and Arsenal’s escape act was complete.

And what an escape act it was. For it is the scale of the renaissance in their fortunes which has been so staggering.

Arsenal were bottom of the group with just one point after three games and in need of a miracle.

With just two minutes to go in their fourth fixture, at home to Dynamo Kiev, they were still on their way out before Ashley Cole struck in the nick of time. That proved the turning point and the 5-1 success away to Inter Milan revived self-belief to such a level that tonight’s match became something of a procession.

Lokomotiv may have started the evening as group leaders but they looked every inch a side whose domestic league ended five weeks ago, lacking spark in midfield and far too cumbersome in defence.

Then again, the real twist in the tail came with the news that Dynamo had equalised at home to Inter and Lokomotiv were therefore still through as runners-up.

Arsenal nevertheless were already home and dry, and while Pires and Ljungberg scored the goals, it was Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira who returned from injury to inspire.

It was Henry’s determination to harry the Lokomotiv defence into a mistake that ensured he was onto the ball in a flash when the visitors dithered.

He looked up before stroking his pass into the path of the roaming Pires, who rifled his shot inside the near post to change the entire complexion of the tie.

Now the onus was on Lokomotiv but they doggedly persisted with their conservative tactics, with Mikheil Ashvetia, the lone striker, looking not just isolated but practically forgotten.

When Dennis Bergkamp flicked on Ljungberg’s lofted pass, Henry cut inside defender Dmitri Sennikov before curling an effort narrowly past the far post.

Arsenal’s task became even more straightforward on the stroke of half-time as Lekcetho was dismissed for his second bookable offence as he scythed down Ljungberg.

The failure to score the decisive second goal ensured a handful of nervous moments but they doggedly persisted with their conservative tactics, with Mikheil Ashvetia, the lone striker, looking not just isolated but practically forgotten When Dennis Bergkamp flicked on Ljungberg’s lofted pass, Henry cut inside defender Dmitri Sennikov before curling an effort narrowly past the far post. Arsenal’s task became even more straightforward on the stroke of half-time as Lekcetho was dismissed for his second bookable offence as he scythed down Ljungberg. The failure to score the decisive second goal ensured a handful of nervous moments but those fears were allayed with 23 minutes left, when Ljungberg sealed victory.

This time, it was Vieira who showed the determination to win back possession and after the ball had been transferred to Henry via Bergkamp, the Frenchman flicked it into the path of the Swede.

Ljungberg beat Ovchinnikov to the ball with a surge of pace and managed to lift his shot over the goalkeeper. What a difference a month makes.

ARSENAL: Lehmann, Toure, Cygan, Campbell, Cole, Ljungberg, Vieira, Silva, Pires, Henry, Bergkamp (Kanu 74).

LOKOMOTIV MOSCOW: Sergei I. Ovchinnikov, Pashinin, Sennikov, Ignashevich, Evseev, Leksetho, Khokhlov, Maminov, Loskov, Buznikin (Gurenko 45), Ashvetia (Parks 45).

Referee: Lubos Michel (Slovakia).